I have an "X" on this road from some previous experience (?) which is my way of telling myself to NOT try and tow down this stretch. However, I can't remember what the deal was. Has anyone gone down this road lately? Is it OK to tow?

Make the "X" bold and in red!Went that route last July with our 36-foot 5th wheel. Never again!It was a winding, narrow, shoulder-less road which had some potholed stretches.It was a very slow drive, getting up to 35 only occasionally.

If you are in Browning and want to go to St Mary the only other way is around 2 sides of a roughly equilateral triangle. Twice as far in other words. We were down that Rd but it was a couple of years ago and I didn't notice anything terrible about it. Maybe you expect a lot more from remote country highways than I do.

I do not have any recent first hand knowledge regarding these roads. Several years ago, I did drive MT 49 from East Glacier north to Kiowa. That sounds like the road you're describing. I think I read some posts this summer about the poor condition of US 89 and some folks preferred to drive north out of Browning on MT 464 to Starr School Rd, then west to US 89. As I remember, they felt this was a better road. However, I do not have any personal knowledge about it.

US89 is an older road that crosses the foothills of the Rockies. I drove it at the end of the day in a car and felt it was tiring (though pretty). 464 stays further out on the plains and is straighter. North of St Marys 89 is relatively straight.I haven't driven 49, but from detailed views on Google Maps it looks like it climbs up over a mountain ridge. So it should be scenic in a car, but may be scary in an RV with poor power to weight ratio.

When we went to St Mary coming from West Glacier we made a mistake and took HWY 49 about a mile up the road was a sign giving the length restriction and we over but there was no place to turn around. We made it but I am sure glad we were not even a foot longer. Leaving St. Mary we were told not to take 89 but take 464 and it was a good road.

US 89 going north from Browning to St Mary's Glacier NP

manualman
Explorer II
Dec 21, 2016
Oh pish. Sure, it's hilly and windy. You're in the mountains, is that a surprise? I did it without white knuckles in a minivan, family of 5 and a 2,700#popup that all combined to just a couple hundred pounds under GCVWR. Still have that minivan and it now has 221k miles on the original engine/trans, so I didn't exactly burn things up.

Just drive at appropriate speeds for conditions and go down hills in the same gear you went up them. I don't recall that pavement surface being half bad, but that was about 8 years ago....
GeoBoy
Explorer
Dec 19, 2016
Lauren wrote:
Trust me on this - from personal experience (been there about 4-5 times) - take the 464!

X2. MT 464 is also known as Duck Lake Road.
slickest1
Explorer
Dec 19, 2016
Last summer we traveled us 89 from Choteau to the Canadian border in our 38 ft MH and toad. Parts of it were not to bad but like said there are alot of sections that have no shoulder and parts that are winding and a fairly good uphill pull. The worst part was they day we passed through there the was some kind of bicycle rally going through the opposite way and we had a couple near misses with cars trying to get around these guys riding 2 and 3 abreast. I can say we have been on a worse road but we have been there and done that and won't do it again.
vermilye
Explorer
Dec 19, 2016
While I would recommend MT 464 for long trailers & large motorhomes, as mentioned in an earlier post, another alternative to US 89 all the way from Browning to St Mary is to take Starr Schoolhouse road out of Browning. Flat & wide, it skips part of US 89, although you will still hit some hills & curves once you are back on US 89. Now I have to admit I'll pulling a 17' trailer!

I'll second skipping MT 49 - even with my small trailer it was something I'd rather not do again. Very short switchbacks & many frost heaves.
Lauren
Explorer
Dec 19, 2016
Trust me on this - from personal experience (been there about 4-5 times) - take the 464!
RPreeb
Explorer
Dec 19, 2016
Timeking wrote:
I have an "X" on this road from some previous experience (?) which is my way of telling myself to NOT try and tow down this stretch. However, I can't remember what the deal was. Has anyone gone down this road lately? Is it OK to tow?

I don't recall the road being that bad, but then the last time I was there was about 50 years ago when I still lived in Great Falls. What I do remember is that going through the Blackfoot Reservation was like touring a rural slum. Don't know if that has changed over the years.

Although I spent a bit of time just southeast of there in Choteau and Conrad (I dated girls from both towns), I only drove through the reservation a couple of times to get to the park.
DaveG39
Explorer
Dec 18, 2016
Took that route last summer. MH towing car. Slow and have to watch the road edges but negotiable. Closer in to ST Mary there are hilly curves but don't know if any better route to st. Mary.
oldcat1
Explorer
Dec 18, 2016
accsys wrote:
464 is 12 miles farther than taking 89 but only three minutes longer due to the 25-35 mph curves on 89. There is also a very long descent that will require careful driving entering St. Mary on 89. 464 is a much more leisurely drive and makes more sense when in an RV. DO NOT TAKE 49 from East Glacier to Kiowa unless you enjoy white knuckle driving!

This is exactly correct.

Safe travels.
CarnationSailor
Nomad
Dec 18, 2016
RoyB wrote:
I know all to well about 89-89A in Northern AZ and just inside UTAH. It is an older road that winds thru all of the high country places with many loop backs... Did well with our Jeeps back then haha...

Roy Ken

Wrong state.
accsys
Explorer
Dec 18, 2016
464 is 12 miles farther than taking 89 but only three minutes longer due to the 25-35 mph curves on 89. There is also a very long descent that will require careful driving entering St. Mary on 89. 464 is a much more leisurely drive and makes more sense when in an RV. DO NOT TAKE 49 from East Glacier to Kiowa unless you enjoy white knuckle driving!